Wartrace installs surveillance cameras

Hudson Cole of Stewart Security was up in the air in Wartrace Tuesday installing a new security camera system. (T-G Photo by Brian Mosely) [Click to enlarge]

Law enforcement and emergency personnel will be able to keep a closer eye on downtown Wartrace and the CSX rail line that runs through the town, thanks to a homeland security grant.

Workers with Stewart Security braved high winds Tuesday installing security cameras.

Police Chief Billy Smith said Wartrace got the $4,000 homeland security grant due to the efforts of Scott Johnson and Eugene Nichols of Bedford County Emergency Management Agency. Wartrace is paying for the installation cost.

The cameras will monitor the rail line and crossing at the center of Wartrace, due to the amount of hazardous material that moves through the area.

Smith thought back to the 1978 incident when a railroad tanker carrying liquid propane gasoline exploded in the center of Waverly, killing 16 people and injuring 43, some suffering horrific burns. Among the dead were Waverly's police and fire chiefs.

Wartrace Police Chief Billy Smith (left) and Eugene Nichols of Bedford County Emergency Management Agency unpack the cameras and digital video recorders that will be used to monitor the CSX railroad crossing and the downtown area. (T-G Photo by Brian Mosely) [Click to enlarge]

"There's a lot worse things coming through these tracks than propane," Smith indicated. If a spill or accident did occur, emergency workers could remotely monitor the situation and pass on vital information to first responders.

Nichols added that monitoring the railroad crossing is important to county emergency personnel. Smith added that the cameras can be used for security as well.

The grant money enabled Wartrace to buy five cameras and two digital video recorders (DVRs).

The cameras are motion sensitive and can operate in very low light. Each DVR can hold up to 16 cameras, Smith said, and over time more cameras can be added to the system.

The DVRs can record up to 30 days worth of footage which can be burned to disk for archiving purposes.

"It's a very state of the art system and we're proud of it," Smith said.

Mayor Don Gallagher said the camera idea had been before the town board for "quite a while" and they appreciated the help received from the county's EMA in getting the grant, adding that the cameras would add some more security to the community.

Eventually, Smith says the city hopes to add more cameras to monitor further down the CSX line and to install cameras at Wartrace's water plant and the spring that supplies that area of the county with water.

Other locations for the cameras could be the park and recreation areas. Having the cameras may not put a stop to vandalism, but will give law enforcement a tool that can be used to catch the responsible parties.

With the correct password, law enforcement and others can go online and monitor activity from any location, Smith said. The county's EMA will have access as well as E-911, which can use the imagery to coordinate responses and personnel.

"This is going to be a very good tool," Smith said.